Even when he plays video games, he prefers those with “realistic elements,” such as Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty.

“I have a very realistic view on life,” he said. “Life is what it is; you can’t really sugarcoat it.”

Recently selected to participate in the upcoming National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security in Washington, D.C., Loomis, 16, will have the chance to apply that no nonsense clear-headedness in a strategy simulation exercise where he and other students will act as major players in an international incident.

Scheduled for the end of February through the beginning of March, the six-day session will allow students Login to read more